Elon Musk reverses course, says SpaceX will continue to fund Ukraine’s Starlink service for free

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory newsletter. Explore the universe with news of amazing discoveries, scientific advances and more.

CNN
–

American billionaire Elon Musk chirp On Saturday, SpaceX said it would continue funding Starlink internet service in war-torn Ukraine, apparently reversing its course after SpaceX asked the US military to pick up the tab.

Starlink satellite Internet services from SpaceX were a vital source of communication for the country’s military during the war with Russia, but also CNN exclusively reported earlier This week, SpaceX warned the Pentagon that it may stop funding the service in Ukraine unless the US military pulls in tens of millions of dollars a month, according to documents obtained by CNN.

The letter also requested that the Pentagon take over funding for the Ukrainian government and military use of Starlink, which will cost SpaceX’s claims more than $120 million for the rest of the year and could cost nearly $400 million for the next 12 months. The report sparked a torrent of tweets from social media users alike Defense and criticize the move.

A tweet from Musk’s verified account posted on Saturday said, “Hell with it…Even though Starlink is still losing money and other companies are getting billions of dollars from taxpayers, we will continue to fund the Ukrainian government for free.”

Since their arrival in Ukraine last spring, Starlink satellite internet stations built by Musk’s company SpaceX have allowed the Ukrainian military to fight and stay connected even as cell phone and internet networks are destroyed in its war with Russia.

A Pentagon spokesperson said Friday afternoon that it has been in touch with SpaceX about funding for satellite communications product Starlink as well as other topics.

In response to a follower who replied to Musk on Saturday tweetMusk said, “No good deed goes unpunished, however, we must still do good deeds.”

On Friday, Musk doubled down on SpaceX’s request for the Pentagon in a series of tweets.

“SpaceX does not ask for a refund of past expenses, but it also cannot fund the current system indefinitely *and* send several thousand terminals that use up to 100 times more data than average households. This is unreasonable,” read one Mail From the notarized Misk account.

He also said that when he asked the Pentagon to receive the Starlink bill in Ukraine, he was following the advice of a Ukrainian diplomat who responded to Musk’s peace plan for Ukraine earlier this month, before sending the letter to the Pentagon, with: “F*** off.”

The Ambassador of Ukraine to Germany, Andrey Melnik, He responded earlier this month On Musk’s alleged peace plan for Russia’s war in Ukraine, he said, “F*** off is my very diplomatic response to you elonmusk.”

SpaceX’s proposal to stop funding Starlink also came amid growing concern in Ukraine about Musk’s loyalty. Musk recently tweeted a controversial peace plan that would see Ukraine give up Crimea and take control of the eastern Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky raised the question of who stands Musk, he replied He’s still very supportive[s] Ukraine ‘but fears a ‘massive escalation’.

One of the Ukrainian officials, Mikhailo Podolak, Zelensky’s advisor, seemed to extend an olive branch in tweet Posted on Friday, she wrote, “Let’s be honest. Like it or not, @elonmusk helped us survive the war’s most dangerous moments.”

“Businesses have the right to their own strategies,” Podolak tweeted. (We’ll find) a solution to keep #Starlink working. We expect the company to provide stable communication until the end of negotiations.”

This story has been updated with additional information.